Bench-type exerciser device

ABSTRACT

A bench type exerciser device has a pad (6) which is swivel-mounted on a rotatably mounted lever (5). This lever (5) is swingably connected, via a connecting member (17), to one end of an arcuate lever arm (13), the other end of which is hinged to a lockable lever (10) which is threadingly mounted about the shaft (2). A lockable sliding element (14) is connected to the arcuate lever arm (13), to which is hinged one end of a pneumatic spring (16) while the other end of the pneumatic spring is fixedly hinged to the shaft (2). The pad (6), which is affixed to the lever (5), serves to exercise the back muscles of a person who is lying prostrate on a reclining surface (18) and who must lift, with his back, the pad (6) against a resisting force. The lockable lever (10) serves to alter the initial position of the rotatably mounted lever (5), so that the starting angle of the body of the exercising person can be individually chosen.

The invention relates to an excerciser device, more particularly to abench-type exerciser device which is particularly adapted for exercisingthe back muscles of a user, the exerciser device including an operatinglever actuated against a resisting force and to which a pad is affixed.

Exerciser devices are known in the art where, on an inclined bench andunder the influence of gravitational forces, the upper body of the useris moved rearwardly and upwardly. The increase of the resisting force issuch that an extra weight, e.g., a medicine ball, is held on the back ofthe neck. In another type of exercise, the upper body is pressedrearwardly and upwardly, while the body is stretched out on the floor.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bench-type exerciserdevice wherein extra resisting force can be freely and continuouslyselectable in a specified area and the force characteristic during themovement can be from a 90° angle to the stretched-out position, from alow value over a maximum to a lower value. This is desirable because thetorque of the body in both extreme angular positions is smaller.Moreover, the exercising person shall have ease of entry in that the padcan be swung forwardly and upwardly and, at the start of the exercise,can be held in the desired individual starting position.

To solve the above problem, the exerciser device according to thepresent invention is characterized in that on a shaft placed in anequipment frame two levers are mounted in the axial direction one behindthe other, the first lever rotating about the shaft and carrying on anoffset lever arm a movable back pad is hinged, via a connection element,to one end of an arcuate lever arm, the other end being hinged to asecond lever, the arcuate lever arm being connected to one end of aresisting element which can be adjusted along the lever arm, and theother end being fixedly hinged with respect to the equipment frame, thesecond lever capable of being locked with the back pad on the shaft inany angular position relative to the initial position of the firstrotating lever with the object of altering the initial position of thefirst lever.

Preferably, the resisting force is produced by a pneumatic springconsisting of a piston/cylinder unit which has the advantage that itpermits adjustment under no-load condition owing to the existinglongitudinal dead limit, during which the compressive force approximateszero.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the ensuing description given hereinafter and in thedrawings, in which an embodiment of the invention is shown merely by wayof example.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the inventive exerciser; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken through the shaft of theexerciser shown in FIG. 1.

In an equipment frame 1 having a bearing 3 there is mounted a shaft 2 towhich an operating lever 8 and an arm 22 are fixedly connected. A lever4,5, which is freely rotatable about the shaft 2 carries on its offsetportion 5a a swivelable pad 6. This lever 5 is hinged by means of a pin5b to a connecting member 17. This connecting member 17 is pivotallyconnected by means of another joint pin 13a to one end of an arcuatelever arm 13. A second lever 10 is hinged to the other end of thisarcuate lever arm 13. A sliding element 14 with locking device 15 canslide along this arcuate lever arm 13 and be locked in any positiontherealong. One end of a pneumatic spring 16 is hinged to this slidingelement 14, while the other end is hinged to the shaft 2 at 2b. This endof the pneumatic spring can also be hinged to a pin of the lever 10(this alternative not shown). The lever 10 is affixed to a threadedbushing 11 placed on a threaded segment 7 of the shaft 2 and carries onits front a washer 9 which can produce frictional contact with anopposing washer 12 which is mounted with clearance on the shaft 2 and isfixed with respect to the equipment frame 1. By pivoting the operatinglever 8 against the center of the reclining surface 18 by the personusing the exerciser, the washer 9 is pressed against the opposing washer12, thereby locking the lever 10 in place. When the exercising personpushes the pad 6 upwardly, the connecting piece 17 transmits this motionto the arcuate lever arm 13 so that the pneumatic compression spring iscompressed against resistance. Owing to the geometry of the lever, theresultant distances of the axes of force will behave in such a way thata force with an arcuate characteristic acts on the pad 6, that is tosay, the torque is low at the start, reaches its maximum after half amovement and, after a 90°-angle, assumes another low value. In order torelease the noted frictional contact between the washers 9 and 12, theoperating lever 8 must be moved forward. After release of the frictionalcontact, the offset arm 22, which is also fixedly connected to the shaft2, carries along the cam arm 21 and by this action the second lever 10is rotated on the shaft 2. In this way, the whole lever system 5, 10,13-17 can be swung forward in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 1)without producing a resisting force.

When the back of the person using the exerciser is pressed against thepad 6, reaction forces of constraints arise. These forces areappropriately absorbed by the user's legs, e.g., against the pad 20mounted on an arm 19 attached to the frame 1. A reclining surface 18permits a more convenient exercise.

Summing up, the advantages of the above-described device over prior artexercisers is seen in the fact that with this device the resisting forceof the exerciser can be continuously adjusted, the torque has an arcuatecharacteristic, and the initial position of the pad can be adjustedindividually.

I claim:
 1. A bench-type exerciser device particularly useful inexercising the back muscles of a user, said exerciser device including aframe means; a support means mounted on the frame means on which a usercan lie; a bearing fixedly mounted on the frame means near a first endof the support means; a shaft rotatably mounted in the bearing; a firstlever rotatably mounted on the shaft, said first lever including an armportion which is positionable beyond said first end of the supportmeans; a pad swivelably mounted on the arm portion of the first leverfor contact with the back of a user; a second lever, a first end of saidsecond lever being mounted on the shaft; a connecting member, a firstend of said connecting member being rotatably connected to said firstlever; an arcuate lever arm, one end of said arcuate lever arm beingrotatably connected to the second end of said second lever and theopposite end of said arcuate lever arm being rotatably connected to thesecond end of said connecting member; an elongated resisting means, oneend of said elongated resisting means being rotatably connected to theshaft and the opposite end of said elongated resisting means beingadjustably connectable along the length o the arcuate lever arm, saidelongated resisting means acting to resist movement of said arcuatelever arm; and means for locking said second lever with respect torotation about the shaft, its angular position about the shaft alteringthe initial positioning of said first lever and thus the location of thepad relative to said first end of the support means.
 2. The bench-typeexerciser device as defined in claim 1 wherein the shaft includes athreaded portion along its length, wherein said second lever includes athreaded bushing which is threadingly connected around the threadedportion of the shaft, wherein the bearing includes a friction washerfixedly attached thereto on the side facing the threaded bushing of thesecond lever, wherein said second lever includes a friction washerfixedly attached thereto on the side facing the bearing, and wherein themeans for locking said second lever with respect to rotation about theshaft includes a third lever fixedly connected to the shaft, movement ina first direction of said third lever causing the shaft to rotaterelative to the bearing and said second lever to move towards thebearing, thus causing the friction washer of said second lever tolockingly engage with the friction washer of the bearing.
 3. Thebench-type exerciser device as defined in claim 2 wherein said thirdlever includes an offset arm portion, wherein said second lever includesa cam arm, and wherein movement of said third lever in a directionopposite to said first direction will cause the friction washer of saidsecond lever to disengage with the friction washer of the bearing andthen cause its offset arm portion to contact the cam arm of said secondlever and said first lever to be rotated about the shaft.
 4. Thebench-type exerciser device as defined in claim 1 wherein the elongatedresisting means comprises a pneumatic spring unit.
 5. The bench-typeexerciser device as defined in claim 1 wherein the opposite end of theelongated resisting means is adjustably connectable along the length ofthe arcuate lever arm by a sliding element which includes a lockingmeans that is adjustable to fixedly attach the sliding element to apoint along the length of the arcuate lever arm.